Essex school building committee sends its $95.4 million design to the state, 10 to 0

The Essex School Building Committee voted 10 to 0 Tuesday to send the schematic design for the new Essex Elementary School to the state, with a total project cost of $95,351,985.

What happened

• The committee approved the schematic design report and submittal package and authorized its project manager and architect to file it with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the state agency that pays part of the cost.
• The package was about 2,600 pages. Members got it Oct. 7. Staff said the final numbers would be entered and submitted Oct. 13 and 14.
• The committee also approved its minutes of Sept. 22 and Sept. 29.
• The last community meeting on the project is Nov. 4. Town meetings in Essex and Manchester vote on the money Nov. 16, and ballot votes on a debt exclusion follow in both towns Dec. 10.

The vote

The business meeting started at 7:36 p.m., right after a community meeting on the project, with exactly enough members for a quorum. The chair went straight to the votes so members with other meetings could leave.

The motion approved "the schematic design report and its submittal package for the Essex Elementary School Project with a total project cost of $95,351,985" and authorized the owner's project manager and the architect to submit it to the MSBA for review and approval. Every member on the roll call voted yes, four online and six in the room.

Schematic design is the stage where the school's size, layout and systems are set well enough to price. The state reviews the package before the towns vote.

What comes next

The chair read the calendar: the final community meeting Nov. 4, committee meetings Nov. 10, Nov. 24 and Dec. 8, and the exclusion votes Dec. 10. She asked members to come to the Nov. 4 meeting in person, since it is the last chance for residents to ask questions and hear from neighbors. The committee decided not to add another community meeting.

On Nov. 16, Manchester is putting the school article near the top of its warrant. Essex is placing it after six Planning Board zoning articles. Members noted that voters at either town meeting can move to take up the article sooner. An Essex member explained a town meeting custom: once an article passes, a supporter moves to reconsider it right away so that motion can be voted down and the result is final before people leave.

The National Honor Society has agreed to run childcare at Essex town meeting from now on, a member said.

What members said about the message

A member said questions from residents keep coming back to cost, and to why this school costs more than Manchester Memorial Elementary and whether it is bigger. He suggested putting the two schools' building programs side by side, since both have a gym, a cafeteria and a library and the main difference is two classrooms per grade instead of three. He also said residents should know that if the project fails, the money the towns already spent on the feasibility study and schematic design cannot be recovered.

Another member said residents assume the state will pay about a third of the cost and asked for a clear explanation of why the reimbursement is in the low 20 percent range. The superintendent said the state's figure of about $605 per square foot is what it is willing to support, not what it believes a school should cost, and that programs such as the district's special education programs keep students in the district instead of paying for more expensive placements elsewhere.

Staff are combining the towns' and the committee's frequently asked questions into one packet, with the total project budget sheet, the reimbursement rate and the effect of the state's cost caps, after Essex selectmen asked for those details last week.

What was decided

• Minutes of Sept. 22 and Sept. 29: approved, 10 to 0.
• Schematic design submittal to the MSBA, total project cost $95,351,985: approved, 10 to 0.
• Adjourn: 8:02 p.m.

Where to find the records

• Agendas and presentations on the district's project page, including the phasing and logistics presentation the committee did not repeat Tuesday.
• Meeting video.

Earlier coverage: Essex school building committee expects to vote Tuesday on its schematic design submittal (Oct. 12). How the $95 million Essex school compares with other new elementary schools (Oct. 7). Manchester's share of the new Essex school would be about $50 million after state aid (Oct. 9).

How we did this: Cape Ann Current watched the meeting online and checked names against the agenda and the committee's roster on the district website. These are our meeting notes, not the committee's minutes.